New Year New Room

The S is for my name and the D is for my dog (smile).

Beginnings are usually times of hope.  Every start to a new year I think of the many things that I would like to accomplish.  It almost feels like a clean slate, a tabula rasa where I get another chance to paint more experiences into this life of mine.  On Christmas, I received a bird blanket that started this whole redecorating bug.  Then I went thrifting with my mom & sister and I found a quilt and pillow cases that matched… With my creativity awaken, I began to get all these ideas for redecorating my room.  A few more trips to various thrift stores around my area and a nature theme developed.  I must say that I don’t like birds in cages- those images sadden me as much as a goldfish in a bowl.  Some animals were made for freedom… Yet, my dad gave me the most amazing bird throw… So I decided I wanted the forest to invade my room and while birds would be permitted no bird in cages would be allowed.  I love parks and the outdoors- while the beach is amazing I am a forest girl.  I was born in the state of Michoacan known for its beautiful forests and much of my childhood memories involved some trip into the wilderness.  Thus, in a way I wanted to bring my childhood ideal of beauty into my room.  I wanted trees, animals and color. 

 I painted my room purple after my brother died in his memory, 

but this summer I will change the color to better suit my decorating needs.

Now the thing about thrifting is that usually you find things that you are not necessarily looking for or in the wrong color so you have to get creative.  In addition, sometimes a trip to the store won’t necessarily mean a great find and usually great finds are hidden treasures that require a bit of digging.  All these elements combined is why I enjoy thrifting.  I love the surprise of a good find and then coming home and googling how much it actually sold for gives me pleasure like nothing else.  It makes me feel smart for saving so much money.  I have shared before that I enjoy shopping second hand because it’s my way of living green - that still holds true.  A thing that many non-thrifters might not know is that some stores carry a lot of brand new items donated by retailers.  For example, all of my bedding came from Target, brand new and in its original packaging.  Even I have standards for some things like what I sleep on being in new condition (smile). 

A few DIY projects and a new night table are slowly improving my prayer area.

I have a box with prayer aids and booklets, and a small cute box to hold my rosary.

I purchased this Ethan Allen Obi Night Table on Craigslist for 50 bucks they sale for 500- what a steal.  I love the quality and the fact that it has a secret pull out board that I use for writing.

I had been drooling over a quilt set that had little trees and bears stitched on, but the quilt alone was over 350 dollars. Yikes!  So I had to improvise and get creative in ways of bringing the forest inside without throwing my money away.  God provided me my tree branch panel (which is actually a bathroom curtain that I turned into a bedroom curtain by sewing a hem for the curtain rod).  The other curtains I found at two separate Goodwill’s brand new from Target.  In the course of a few weeks I had most of the items to begin the grand renovation.  Since I sleep with a senior dog (hush, he still thinks he’s a pup) I had to lower my bed because he hurt his back a couple of times trying to get on the bed and he wouldn’t have anything to do with the doggie stairs.  So I had to accommodate my aging dog.  Now he leaps on and off with the spirit of a young puppy.  I had quite a few days off work for the holidays so I was able to go to various stores and buy little nick knacks to complete sections of the room.  So far I am done with one third of the room- the other areas needs a few more DIY projects, but am loving my new room thus far.  The rain will slow my progress since I want to paint my vanity and mirror set to match the cherry-wood-new-to-me furniture.  So, in a month or so I hope to be doing part two of the tour.  Enjoy my simple, budget-friendly, good-to-the-planet decorating ideas & be safe in the rain.  Also excuse the poor quality of the pictures- they were taken with my antique phone since my camera died and in poor lighting.    

The bird throw my dad got me and my DIY doggie toy bin for only $3.99.